Fire Heart
by Stupid little slut
Summary: Jessa McCormick is just a normal mutant with issues, until her foster sister Jean Grey introduces her to Professor Charles Xavier. Will she ever be able to control her powers and come to grips with her dark secrets?
1. Explosion

**A\N: Hello there! This is my first X-Men story in a while. It's only the beginning, so bear with me here. I've been around the series forever and I adore it. Plus, even though he's kind of an arse and an idiot most of the time, I love Bobby Drake aka Iceman. Mostly from the original series because he was kind of an outcast and hates Cyclops. Hehe. So, enjoy while I try to present a worthwhile story. **

"Hello? Jess, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Huh? What?" Jessa McCormick snapped her head up off the cool desk top, her large blue eyes wide and alert. She turned in her seat to face Jean Gray who had an impatient look upon her face. Jean had never cared for the younger girl, but being her foster sister, she had to look after her.

"I was telling you that I want to introduce you to the professor after school today," Jean repeated sternly.

"I already told you, Jeanie, I don't want to meet some creepy bald guy in a wheelchair who runs a school full of mu—''

"Shut up!" she snarled, quickly peering around to see if anyone had heard. "I warned you not to talk about the 'm' word in public!"

Jessa rolled her eyes and began idly twirling a strand of short black hair around her finger. She really didn't see what all the big hairy deal was about people knowing she and her sister were mutants. After all, it wasn't like they wanted to hurt anybody. She had tried to explain this to Jean many times, but the older girl always insisted that it was better to just keep quiet about it.

"I have things I need to do after school today, okay? So maybe we can do this later. Or never. Does never work for you?" Jessa asked snidely, sneering at her foster sister and turning her back to look out of the large windows that lined the classroom wall. She watched a few burn-outs on the grass for a while, until she felt a sharp poke in her back. She whirled around and cried, "What the hell do you want, Jean? I told you I'm not going and that's…" her voice trailed off. The person standing before her was definitely not Jean Gray. He was tall and thin with short blonde hair. He had ice blue eyes that were surveying Jessa with slight amusement. She blushed and looked at her feet.

"Um, you're not Jean," she blurted stupidly. The boy laughed and shook his head. Then he stuck out his hand and said loudly, "No, not quite. I'm Bobby Drake; I live at the Xavier Institute with Jean, though. She's told us a lot about you. You're Jessa, right?"

Jessa blinked and tried to register this. Then she ventured slowly, "Yeah…I'm Jessa McCormick. You live at the institute, too? Why?"

"Well, see, a lot of kids live there. Kids who are…special. Who need someplace safe to go to help control what they can't. Like Jean. Like you," Bobby explained. Jessa narrowed her eyes and stood up as the bell rang.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I have to go to class now."

"Wait!" Bobby grabbed her arm. Jessa's eyes flashed sharply; she hated to be man-handled. She tore away violently and scowled.

"I know about you, Jessa," Bobby said quietly. "I know about your powers. I know that sometimes you have a hard time controlling them. Professor Xavier can help you, we can all help you."

An image of her father suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. Standing above her his arm raised and telling her that she was worthless. That nothing could ever help a little monster freak like her.

"You don't know anything about me, and if you did then you would know that I don't need any help. Just leave me alone, okay?" she said angrily. She could feel the bubbling heat rising in her stomach, it was happening already. She had to get out of there.

"Just hear me out!" he begged.

She did not wait for him to finish. She whirled on her heel and bolted from the room, down the stairs and out of the building. The heat was unbearable now, it was burning her alive. She screamed as ruby red flames leapt all around her. She could feel her blood turn scorching hot and her heart threatened to burst. Then all was black, and she was falling.

**A\N: Okay, so, they you are. The first chapter. If you haven't guessed, she's not the happiest person. Can Bobby help her with that? Who knows. And yes, her power is fire creation and manipulation. Like Pyro, only she's more powerful. Care to stick around for the next chapter? Sorry it's such a cliché cliffhanger. **


	2. Aftershock

**A\N: Yep, here's the second chapter. It is the fruit of my boredom tree! Hopefully it doesn't suck as badly as the first one did. Well, here goes nothing. Chapter two.**

When Jessa came to, she was lying in a hospital bed with a monster of a headache. Even the soft blips and beeps of the many machines she was hooked into seemed to split her head in two each time they announced their presence. Slowly she sat up and looked around. There were about four or five other unoccupied beds in the room, each sloppily made and imprinted with the same two letters: **X I**.

"Where am I?" she voiced to herself, rubbing her forehead and closing her eyes.

"You're at the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters."

Jessa nearly had a heart attack. She opened her eyes and saw three people at the foot of her bed, each looking at her with concern on their faces. One of them she recognized as Logan, who she had seen a few times with Jean on the way to school. The others were a woman with long black hair and grey eyes and a man in a wheelchair.

_That's gotta be Xavier, _Jessa thought.

"Yes, I am Professor Charles Xavier. You gave your sister and Bobby quite a scare, Miss McCormick," said the man in the wheelchair. He smiled gently at her.

"Sorry, but, I need to get home," she announced hastily, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and unceremoniously detangling herself from the monitors as she stood. The woman approached Jessa and laid a hand calmly on her shoulder.

"There is no need to leave yet," she said. "You need to rest and recuperate. We found some nasty burns on Jean, and we just want to make sure that you're alright."

"I'm fine. I just want to go home. Where's Jean? Is she badly hurt?"

Guilt rose in the pit of her stomach like vomit, and she felt woozy. She began to sway as black spots danced in her eyes.

"Easy there," she coaxed, steadying Jessa and setting her back on the bed. "My name is OroroMunroe, but you can call me Storm."

"Why do they call you that?"

She only smiled and said, "I think it would be best for you to stay with us for a while, Jessa. We can help you, and you can get control of your powers."

_I doubt it. Nobody can help me. I'm just a freak. A monster…_

"You are not a monster, Miss McCormick," Xavier explained. "You are only a mutant. You have no control over what you are. But not having control over your powers is dangerous. I think Storm is right. You should stay at the institute for a time, until you feel that you are in control."

"Stop reading my mind. Jean already drives me crazy with the garbage. And I already told Bobby that I don't need any goddamn help. Sometimes…I just get angry. That's all," the young girl informed them.

"Stop messing around, kid. You nearly set your school on fire with that outburst. You call that being in control? Just quit kidding yourself. You need to be here, and you know it," Logan told her in a gruff tone. Jessa sat back, shocked. She had no idea all the damage she had caused.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she sputtered, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and stood again. "Please tell Bobby and Jean I'm sorry. I can't stay here. What if I explode again, huh? Then we're all screwed. I'm a monster. Monsters don't belong with people."

"This kid is thick as a brick, Charlie," Logan sighed, shaking his head. "She doesn't get it."

"I don't get what?" she snapped defensively.

"That you're going to be staying with us whether you want to or not. We've already contacted your parents and they think that it's best," Ororo explained gently. "Professor, do you want me to show her to her room?"

"No, Ororo, I'll send for Rogue to do it."

A few moments later, a girl Jessa's age sauntered in. She looked very surly and reluctant as she eyed Jessa.

"Rogue, this is Jessa McCormick. Will you show her to her room, please? The empty one on the third floor next to Jean's," Xavier asked calmly.

"Yeah, sure," the girl called Rogue replied in a thick southern accent. She beckoned to Jessa, who followed in a dazed state. They had gone down a couple of halls and up a flight of stairs before Rogue spoke.

"So, you're the girl who gave Jean those burns, huh?"

Jess lowered her head and blushed in shame.

"Don't worry about it, she's too perfect anyway. She needed some flaws on that perfect skin of hers," Rogue chuckled. "Well, here we are. Dinner is at six. I'll go get Kurt to get your stuff and bring it up to you."

After she had left, Jess sat on the stripped bed and closed her eyes. She looked at her hands and watched the deep burns slowly fade to pink scars, which would be gone by morning. How could she have let it come to this? Being forced to stay in a mutant mansion with her sister after nearly killing her schoolmates.

"Jessa, Jessa, Jessa, what have you gotten yourself into?"


End file.
